For many small businesses, being found by local residents or other nearby businesses is essential to their success. If you think about businesses such as heating and cooling companies, or small bakeries, the search terms they are ranking for probably include a city, zip code, or the word “nearby.”
Google does a good job of figuring out where you are and when to include you in a list of local lineups, especially when the competition is not so hot. However, when you have a lot of local competition, you will want to know how to optimize your website and your business listings for local searchers.